A new blog begins

Bless me Blogger, for I have penned. On paper. I was away from the digital sphere since my desktop computer was taken over by aliens (okay, nefarious humans who knew an old machine when they got their malware on it). There was a blog that went with it. It was apparent from a few friends/family member that this blog was their non-social-media means of keeping in touch, and for that and the ease of journaling via keyboard I am back!

So the blog that once had 100k+ views and regular traffic is gone forever. And that's okay! It doesn't take away the reality of living the past 13 years that the blog was up. Holy crap that is a long time. Anyhow, hi. For anyone just stumbling through blogger, my name is Heidi Skrzypek (say Skrigh-Peck, that's how Americans pronounce it; in Poland I am told it's shrip-pick). I own Heidi Witherspoon Copywriting, a communications business I have had for many years from when I had a different last name. All my by-lines have this name, spanning a 25-year career in features, advertising and food/wine-related public relations. I live on beautiful Vashon Island, WA in the Pacific NW with my husband. Together we co-parented two terrific young men who are now launched and making their own ways in the world, and we are proud.

Having spent the better part of my working life racing deadlines, exercising diplomacy between c-level executives and in-the-trenches underlings, and pitching media, at this new milestone of 50 I have dialed back the breakneck pace I once led. After working to primarily help get my oldest through college so he could graduate debt-free, the financial heavy lifting was done. The freelance autonomy is awesome. Guilt-inducing, at times.

My goals of late are to work just enough to live comfortably, cover my needs, sock a little away, and travel to swim! Last July (2018) I completed a four-person relay across the English Channel, and next year I'll swim on an all-women relay from Jersey in the Channel Islands to France...and back! In 2021 another English Channel swim is on the books. This season are so many open water competitions, I'll just share them as they happen. Let's just say the worldwide open water swim community is very small. Two degrees of separation has never rung more true than in the ocean.

A lot of this blog will revolve around life in the PNW, life on this island, my fabulous community and definitely open water swimming. Lately, having finally felt like I am hitting my stride as an open water swimmer (still training for speed and technique- always!), I draw great satisfaction in mentoring those just starting out.  I promise a re-post of my July EC swim so others considering it will know what they're in for.

For a little more than two years I have hosted a Seattle-area dancehall reggae radio show called Borderlines on VoiceofVashon.org aka 101.9 FM KVSH-lp Vashon Island, WA. We broadcast worldwide Th 1-3p PST with live streaming, and I run the board just like my old days of college deejaying. I love reggae, punk, hip hop, dance and vintage era surf music. If you like contemporary reggae take a listen. I have a severe aversion to auto-tune so you'll find more reggae revival and band style music versus reggae a la garagiste tinkering on their puter. No weak bass and over synthed tunes here.

Welcome to this journal, and journey.


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